LTE: Doing right by taxpayers

6:33 p.m. EDT August 7, 2014

Looking at your tax bill as a New Jersey resident can be pretty depressing. Inevitably, one of the myriad of governing bodies we are forced to deal with increases their portion of your tax bill to pay for more spending. Worse, their increases are hitting middle-class taxpayers and retirees on fixed incomes the hardest — driving people out of the state and away from family and friends.

Fortunately, there is one exception: The GOP-led Burlington County Freeholder Board, which has cut county property taxes for five straight years and reduced the county portion of our total tax bill by 20 percent. Not only is that an accomplishment worth recognizing and praising, but beyond that it is truly making a meaningful difference for people who are struggling to make ends meet in these challenging economic times.

I am writing to recognize the good work of Freeholder Director Bruce Garganio and his two Republican colleagues on the board, Joe Howarth and Joe Donnelly. With so many politicians in both parties letting us down, it’s nice to know we have leaders here in Burlington County who are doing right by taxpayers year after year.

BRUNO DI STEFANO

Medford Lakes